Well ok, it actually started yesterday but I couldnt hunt due to work. Going to hunt evenings for the next 4 days at my watering hole setup. Hopefully the big still goofy critters come in during that time for an evening drink. When I check my trailcamera on the 19th I saw they havent been around since the 14th. Kindof like last year I guess.

Anyway the tag is spike or cow, hunters choice... either of those walking into bow range will get the air let out of it!

Taking a better camera this year so hopefully I get some picts.


-Dallanc

Have a good time, Dallan!

Good luck, and have a safe hunting season Dallan.

Eric

Go get um Dallan . Fix them critters for messin with your camera . Good luck buddy hope ya get a good one.
Joe

Good luck Dallan! I am hoping to get away Elk hunting this year as well but during the rifle season. I have missed the last 2 years because of work.

I am hoping it will be a strong year for elk herds, good luck and I hope you are able to drop one on a flat rock so you can back the truck up and just slide it in. Everyone deserves at least one season in your life where you don't have to drag 'em out!

WileyWapiti wrote:

Everyone deserves at least one season in your life where you don't have to drag 'em out!

You can get an amen to that, brother!

Hunted last night, no elk. There is still no sign they have been in the area since the 14th. Ah well they gotta come through sometime. Last night I was sitting in my Trekker T-200 popup blind (really like that thing, it was only $49 at cabelas) and had at least 20 turkeys come past me, some as close as 5 yards. One really huge tom, was fun to watch them. Couple deer wandered past, all does and fawns. I did see the remains of a cute 2x3 deer I had trailcam picts of from 4 weeks ago, no idea how it died. No indication it was killed by a predator. Wierd. Going down again tonight and staying through sunday this time.


-DallanC

When ya get um take some pics
Joe

If you think really hard "DEER, DEER, DEER" than the elk will think you are ignoring them and decide to come by. Hang in there, it has been pretty hot and the West is expecting a mild winter (per Farmer's Almanac), so you may have to get up high to see them. For what it is worth, our elk here in Colorado have remained pretty high as well. For our friends who are unfamiliar with elk, it is important to note that they do not have very extensive sweat glands, it takes a bit to get them to come off the mountain with it being so hot down low, usually a good heavy snow will get them thinking about it. The cows and some younger bulls will start moving, but it takes a good nudge to get the older bulls to come down. I am really interested to hear how it goes and wish I did not have 47 days, 20 hours 55 minutes and 12 seconds until my elk season opens, but who's counting !

Ok well I'm a little ticked off after a weekend of hunting... grrr elk out-smarted me! If you have never been around elk, they are generally very vocal. Cows and bulls all call to each other with various churps and squeals. In the past, its been pretty easy to identify where elk are, where they are moving ect ect.

Well this weekend they stayed quiet! I sat in my blind which has 3 porthole windows overlooking the spring where I get my pictures. 3 different times I had elk sneak down from behind the blind (a direction they generally dont come from) where I couldnt see them until they got up along side the blind and looked in the side windows. Usually I was looking out a different window at the time and they would see movement and bail out of there.

3 ... THREE TIMES IN A ROW!

#%$#@%@$#%

3 times I had elk within 15 yards and was unable to get a shot off because they snuck up behind me! GRRRR!

I was rewarded with watching 4 bulls spar in the meadow in front of me for 15 minutes. I had a ton of turkeys come past... some MONSTER sized toms, beards dragging in the dirt. Had alot of deer come past, some walked right up to the blind and watered about 10ft away. Scent didnt seem to be an issue.

Ah well, 2 more weeks left of archery so hopefully I'll get some action next weekend.

On the flip side, I took my computer with me down hunting and during the day UI was able to get a ton of work done on PointBlank v2.0. I've nearly got the importing system working to import the older format databases (what a @$#%'ing nightmare!)


-DallanC

I haven' heard anybody say the elk are talking yet. Hang in there!

WileyWapiti wrote:

I haven' heard anybody say the elk are talking yet. Hang in there!

Oh the bulls are screaming here... but those are the loners who dont have cows yet. The cows are running by themselves or with smart bulls that know not to give away their position to a potentially bigger bull.

Its the cows that are sneaking around not chirping to each other that is making this tricky. They are ghosts atm, sneaking right up next to me before I see them coming.


-DallanC

OK Dallan, you forced me to go buy the same blind...I thought how can something so cheap, get better reviews than blinds costing 2 or 3 times as much. Give some pointers as to how to use this( ie chair , stool or nothing) zip out the window or shoot through the mesh.

Thanks in advance and GOOD LUCK!!!

jimbowsai wrote:

OK Dallan, you forced me to go buy the same blind...I thought how can something so cheap, get better reviews than blinds costing 2 or 3 times as much. Give some pointers as to how to use this( ie chair , stool or nothing) zip out the window or shoot through the mesh. Thanks in advance and GOOD LUCK!!!

Its a surprisingly well put together blind actually. I zip out the windows and tie them with the tie sewn in. I honestly didnt test and dont trust the shoot though mesh. It may have cost me a shot as I did have an elk broadside at 15 yards on that side of my blind. I had closed the mesh to block out sunlight as I thought the elk were going to come in from the other side and I didnt want to illuminate myself. I regret not trying shooting through it while it was at home. If you have yours at home try shooting through it an tell me if it changes your arrow flight much.

I just used one of those fold up collapsable pole chairs. when I hear the elk coming in close, I fold it up and set it aside and kneel... the problem though is I didnt hear the elk come in most of the time! ROFL...

It is going to be a fricken cool blind for turkeys though... they walk right up to it and it would be soooo easy to pop one with a shotgun.

Practice folding it up a few times, its kind of confusing the first time or two... and watch out when setting it up because it just kindof has a mind of its own and can be startling when it just pops out into shape. Nice fast setup, light weight... cheap cost. Great buy IMO.

One change to mine I plan to make is to remove the velcro mesh covers, and cover the velcro part on the sides right up to the corners. leaving the corners to be freed easier and more quietly than ripping the whole side of the mesh loose. Maybe I'll cover up all of the velcro and make my own simple quiet ties so I can open a mesh window quietly and not spook game.


-DallanC